Barry Flanagan, Leaping Hare on Crescent and Bell

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Barry Flanagan

Leaping Hare on Crescent and Bell is a bronze sculpture by North Wales artist Barry Flanagan which depicts a hare springing over a large bell and crescent shape. Flanagan, whose work is held in prestigious institutions throughout the world–such as the MoMA, Centre Georges Pompidou, and Tate–has been credited with changing the language of sculpture.
Best known for his statues of hares bounding through space, Flanagan was inspired by what he described as the magical experience of seeing a hare running on the Sussex Downs. The dynamic sculpture draws from Chinese and Egyptian mythology, where the hare is, respectively, the moon’s sole inhabitant and a symbol of immortality.
These influences provide clues as to the story the artist is telling. The crescent alludes to the moon and a realm beyond earth, while bells are readily associated with marking the passage of time. The hare’s position, sailing over these elements, suggests its having overcome life’s limitations–including societal mores and even mortality.
In its ultimate essence, the work is an invitation to rise above challenges and constraints so as to fully inhabit a space of boundless possibility.